Warrior193

If the fuel use the OP quotes is being burnt in the engine, it should be running so poorly as to be undriveable - I doubt a mixture that rich would even ignite due to plug wetting.

Persistent fuel theft over a 9 month period seems unlikely, in any case, effective anti-syphon traps in the filler are pretty standard nowadays.

I'd originally assumed similar to Mk3, but several sources quote fuel capacity as 55 L for the Mk2.

Hello, welcome to the forum. Does the engine appear to run normally at present? Are there any signs of leakage or smell of fuel? Do you completely fill the tank each week - how many litres does it take to fill? It would be almost unbelievable if you are using 40 - 45 litres for less than 50 miles per week (equating to around 1.25 miles per litre)

It's the 'battery' symbol (red) warning indicator light in the instrument cluster.

My understanding is that PPF regeneration differs considerably from DPF - the PPF regeneration is carried out during closed throttle overrun - so, unlike a diesel, it is unlikely for the engine to smell unusually hot after a regen.

The failure of the aux. belt could very likely be the source of your original 'burning rubber smell' - did you not notice the alternator failure warning light?

Your latest fault is almost certainly battery condition or SOC related. How old is your battery? There should be a date stamp on the top surface of the negative terminal (WWYY)

Hello, welcome to the forum. Has it been confirmed that the battery is discharging overnight? Multiple, seemingly unrelated fault indications are a common issue if battery voltage goes too low. If battery is discharging overnight while vehicle is shut down (and nothing has been left switched on) it is possible that you have a parasitic load, where one, or several of the control modules are not going into sleep mode correctly.

Are you having to 'slip' the clutch while you are reversing?

If vehicle is now pulling to left after loss of wheel, it is very likely that, at the very least, the front alignment has been affected - the wheel hub/brake disc or lower suspension arm will almost certainly have contacted the road surface too. Strongly suggest you have an independent inspection for any damage caused by the mechanics gross negligence.

I suggest getting the start button scanned for correct function of starter function.

On SWMBOs Fabia (keyless start) the 'press clutch' message only displays if you press start button without disengaging clutch - what happens it you do that? I'm suspecting a faulty start button.

At the very least, it looks like the mounting brackets are broken.

Has the 12 volt battery become discharged?

Highly unlikely for shaft diameter, taper or spline pitch to match, even between models - let alone different manufacturers.

Hello welcome to the forum. 3000 RPM seems rather high for manoeuvring, even on a slope - how steep was the slope?

Hello Abbey, welcome to the forum. Very strongly advise to fit only correct rated fuse to any circuit. Unless the actual capacity of the circuit wiring is known, there is a very real risk of overheating and fire if the current capacity of wiring is exceeded.

Disconnecting a battery connection while the engine (and alternator) is running can result in failure of alternator diode pack.

Skoda UK pervious recommendation for cambelt replacement at 5 years, regardless of mileage, was always out of step with remainder of VW Group manufacturer's (who use exactly the same engines) Skoda UK revised the cambelt replacement interval to match the others around the middle of last year.

Have you had a proper battery condition test done? A battery left completely discharged for an extended period is very likely to be fubar.

Pretty strong indication that something's wrong with 1st cluster synchro or baulk ring.

What you describe sounds like faulty baulk synchro ring on 1st cluster, I consider it's very unlikely for this difficulty in selecting 1st gear to be normal. Do you know how to double declutch to test synchro fault possibility?

Because of the way 1 to 2 and 5 to 6 gates are biased, you do need to maintain very slight left or right pressure on the stick to align those gates correctly, as the stick is weighted towards middle gate.

Is the 26 psi you quote the maximum difference across all cylinders?